Comments on: Wrong Response to Food Crisis http://etcblog.org/2008/06/06/wrong-response-to-food-crisis/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=wrong-response-to-food-crisis (et cet er a) and other things; such as human rights, biodiversity, biopiracy, converging technologies, global governance and corporate concentration. An experimental growing plot for news, views and new ideas. Fri, 26 Mar 2010 20:21:10 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: persephone http://etcblog.org/2008/06/06/wrong-response-to-food-crisis/comment-page-1/#comment-37475 persephone Mon, 01 Sep 2008 14:17:04 +0000 http://etcblog.org/2008/06/06/wrong-response-to-food-crisis/#comment-37475 I wrote to Dr. Tabo and Dr. Twomlow to confirm that the varieties they used were not GM, considering ICRISAT's reputation. Dr. Twomlow confirmed that they are NOT GM. So this is conventional farming. Here is my response, which I will not link, but it can be duplicated by inquiry, I am sure. For reference I can assure you that at no time in our work in west Africa have we ever used genetically modified materials. We always used the farmers preferred varieties. ICRISAT has a strict code of ethics re genetically modified crops work and I refer you to our Deputy Director General Research, who was currently in charge of our Biotechnology work - he's better positioned to provide detailed comments on ICRISATs views, the extent of work in this area, the materials we have available for the media etc. Best Steve Dr Steve Twomlow Global Theme Leader Land, Water and Agrodiversity Management ICRISAT-Bulawayo Matopos Research Station PO BOx 776 Bulawayo Zimbabwe I wrote to Dr. Tabo and Dr. Twomlow to confirm that the varieties they used were not GM, considering ICRISAT’s reputation. Dr. Twomlow confirmed that they are NOT GM. So this is conventional farming. Here is my response, which I will not link, but it can be duplicated by inquiry, I am sure.

For reference I can assure you that at no time in our work in west Africa have we ever used genetically modified materials. We always used the farmers preferred varieties. ICRISAT has a strict code of ethics re genetically modified crops work and I refer you to our Deputy Director General Research, who was currently in charge of our Biotechnology work – he’s better positioned to provide detailed comments on ICRISATs views, the extent of work in this area, the materials we have available for the media etc.

Best

Steve

Dr Steve Twomlow

Global Theme Leader Land, Water and Agrodiversity Management

ICRISAT-Bulawayo

Matopos Research Station

PO BOx 776

Bulawayo

Zimbabwe

]]> By: persephone http://etcblog.org/2008/06/06/wrong-response-to-food-crisis/comment-page-1/#comment-37472 persephone Fri, 29 Aug 2008 16:19:47 +0000 http://etcblog.org/2008/06/06/wrong-response-to-food-crisis/#comment-37472 Look what a little manure and microdoses of fertilizer can do in SubSaharan Africa; I'd like to see biotech match this: http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/08/29/fertilizer-wheat-crop.html?dcitc=w01-101-ae-0001 Aug. 29, 2008 -- A simple and cheap technique of applying fertilizer in small doses at the right time can double wheat crop yields in sub-Saharan Africa and feed millions of people, agronomists said in a report. A four-year experiment with the technique in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger has boosted sorghum and millet production by 44 to 120 percent, and family incomes by 50 to 130 percent, said an International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) report published Thursday. Farmers are quick to learn and can be trained in just one week, Tabo said. He said they are shown that only six grams of fertilizer per plant is enough, and that small holes dug in the dry ground and filled with manure before the rainy season will hold water for a longer time. When it starts to rain, a micro-dosis of fertilizer and a plant are placed in each hole so roots can spread quickly an retain even more water, Tabo said. "Land degradation is particularly acute in sub-Saharan Africa where the soil has been overused, coupled with low, unpredictable rainfall," he stressed. Farmers in sub-Saharan Africa are so poor they exploit the land to the maximum and consider the cost of fertilizer too high a risk in case of a bad harvest. "With microdosing, they don't invest much and that reduces their risk," Tabo said. Fertilizer in Africa is difficult to find and costs two to six times more than the average world price because of low sale volumes, difficulty of transport and because it is not produced locally. With micro-doses, farmers only need 10 percent of the fertilizer used for wheat and five percent for corn, the ICRISAT report said. ----------------------------------- Doesn't it seem like overkill to go to the lengths of genetically engineering the dna when something as simple as microdoses of fertilizer can yield a comparatively huge increase in yield--safely? Look what a little manure and microdoses of fertilizer can do in SubSaharan Africa; I’d like to see biotech match this:

http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/08/29/fertilizer-wheat-crop.html?dcitc=w01-101-ae-0001

Aug. 29, 2008 — A simple and cheap technique of applying fertilizer in small doses at the right time can double wheat crop yields in sub-Saharan Africa and feed millions of people, agronomists said in a report.

A four-year experiment with the technique in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger has boosted sorghum and millet production by 44 to 120 percent, and family incomes by 50 to 130 percent, said an International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) report published Thursday.

Farmers are quick to learn and can be trained in just one week, Tabo said.

He said they are shown that only six grams of fertilizer per plant is enough, and that small holes dug in the dry ground and filled with manure before the rainy season will hold water for a longer time.

When it starts to rain, a micro-dosis of fertilizer and a plant are placed in each hole so roots can spread quickly an retain even more water, Tabo said.

“Land degradation is particularly acute in sub-Saharan Africa where the soil has been overused, coupled with low, unpredictable rainfall,” he stressed.

Farmers in sub-Saharan Africa are so poor they exploit the land to the maximum and consider the cost of fertilizer too high a risk in case of a bad harvest.

“With microdosing, they don’t invest much and that reduces their risk,” Tabo said.

Fertilizer in Africa is difficult to find and costs two to six times more than the average world price because of low sale volumes, difficulty of transport and because it is not produced locally.

With micro-doses, farmers only need 10 percent of the fertilizer used for wheat and five percent for corn, the ICRISAT report said.

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Doesn’t it seem like overkill to go to the lengths of genetically engineering the dna when something as simple as microdoses of fertilizer can yield a comparatively huge increase in yield–safely?

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